Wednesday, August 22, 2012

My husband was
watching the news yesterday while I was cooking dinner and stopped briefly on HLN,
where a female doctor was discussing a new drug that can suppress sperm
production in the testes. So far the research has just been done on rats, but
it’s the first drug molecule that’s small enough to get through the testes’
protective blood-barrier, so it’s a milestone in the search for a male
contraceptive.

The doctor
went on to say that in her clinic they do far more tubal ligations than
vasectomies, because “guys don’t like anything that messes with those areas.”
You can hear someone on the set laugh and clap, which is really unusual. The
woman newscaster who took over from the interview commented, “You should see
the faces of the men in the studio right now,” making a face like someone
grimacing in horror. The implication was all the men were appalled at the
thought of choosing to destroy their sperm.

I have
wondered for many years: why aren’t men clamoring for a male contraceptive? In
these days when paternity can be definitely established via DNA tests, a
one-night stand can result in 18 years of child support—your wages garnished by
court order. You have a child, but you’re never the father because you never
had a relationship with the mother. What a nightmare!

I can’t
imagine being a man and putting my life in the hands of a woman, having to
trust that she’s not lying to me about using birth control. It appears that the
ability to impregnate infuses many men’s image of their sexuality and they
can’t imagine separating the two.

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

I saw the
film “The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom” on HBO recently. What an amazing film
about the power of humans to transcend tragedy, as well as the resilience of nature.
The filmmaker, Lucy Walker, was going to make a short film about the Japanese fascination
with the cherry blossom, which is evidently a very important part of their
culture. Then the tsunami hit, and she integrated the two stories in a
fabulously beautiful way.

Some of the
Japanese interviewed say the cherry blossom is revered because of its ephemeral
nature—it blooms for just a few days and then is gone. They even love it when the
petals fall from the trees; among their many names for the blossoms is one for
“fallen petals in water.” A man who raises cherry trees, who is descended from
a long line of cherry-tree growers, said, “perceiving transience heightens
appreciation.” This is the message of the film: life is short and when we think
it’s going to go on forever we take things for granted. When we are in touch
with the truth that life can be taken from us at any moment, we appreciate
every moment. That may sound trite, but this film says it in such a graceful
way it feels fresh and powerful.

The film
begins with a stunning video of the tsunami coming towards the camera, taken
from a hillside above a town, with residents of the town all around exclaiming
as they watch the destruction unfold. At first you can’t really see anything
happening, the wave is so far away, and then you can’t believe your eyes as it
comes towards you and it becomes clear how vast the devastation is. The wave
ends up almost reaching the hillside and the sense of panic is communicated
through the voices of the people all around; it’s an emotionally gripping
experience.

The beauty
of Japanese culture comes across in the second half of the film as the cherry
blossoms begin to open among the destroyed houses: the reverence across age
groups and gender for the beauty of a flower. There’s the sense of a poetic
nature that seems to me to be totally missing from American culture, and when I
see a depiction of a culture that has it, I really feel the lack.

About Me

I'm a philosopher, writer, videographer, and entrepreneur. In 2013 I've released a new book, "We Are ALL Innocent by Reason of Insanity." I'm the co-author with my husband Arthur Hancock of "The Game of God: Recovering Your True Identity.